Deliverance by CJ Redwine 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publishing Date: August 26
Genre: young adult, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, fantasy
ISBN: 9780062117236
Goodreads: —
Rating: ★★★★

Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.

Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.

Rachel’s captured by Ian and Rowansmark trackers, and Logan’s imprisoned in Lankenshire. Though the two had hopes of forging alliances with other city-states together, their goal increases tenfold once they’re separated. Fighting desperately to find each other once more while struggling to survive political unrest, brutality, and the Wasteland takes its toll on the two young leaders of the destroyed Baalboden. They will fight to find each other  and end the lives of abusive leaders, or die trying.

If you haven’t read the previous two books of this trilogy, Defiance and Deception, do so now. It’s my favorite dystopian trilogy by far, and this final book truly had my heart pounding the entire time. If I thought Logan and/or Rachel were about to die in the other books, it’s nothing compared to this one! I lived in constant fear!

This was a fantastic closer to the trilogy. The characters have grown and developed so much across the journey, and watching their realization of this fact — facing death and embracing grief and accepting love — was incredibly beautiful. Rachel was always a stubborn fighter, but her world is no longer black and white, right and wrong. She understands the value of life and death, what it means to be a leader and protector. Logan, likewise, was always a bright inventor and cautious individual. He learned to think on his feet, to observe others and utilize their strengths for good. 

Plotting out the attack and the war felt authentic. Granted, I don’t know much about strategy, but the elements they crew used to attack Rowansmark surprised me — in a good way. Redwine has this uncanny ability to keep you on your feet, to make you guess and second guess where she’s heading next. I never knew what was going to happen, and that’s what I find so wonderful about this trilogy. It’s complex, compelling, and brilliantly written.

Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!